Heavy Lifting?

NJL13500

I'm getting closer to my goal weight and looking to make sure that I am burning and ridding myself of fat and not muscle. I've seen a lot of posts recommending heavy lifting for women. Can anyone give an explanation as to how it works? I'm looking to mix strength training with cardio. Right now just using the machines at the gym. Thanks!

waldo56

Heavy lifting = training for strength, lifting weight heavy enough that you will reach failure in 1-5 reps, where your gains will be predominantly strength (as opposed to size or endurance) and the gains will be rapid.

Stronglifts and Starting Stength, two basic beginner barbel 5x5 programs, are good starting points.

It can be done with bodyweight too if you keep to the priciples of high resistance and rapid failure, however progressive bodyweight strength training is far more complex and there is no good single source for information or programming.

LabRat529

When you diet, you metabolize fat to make up for the energy deficit, but you also metabolize muscle. It's inevitable, but when you lift heavy, you make your muscles a priority. You body needs to hang on to those so you can keep lifting heavy. Thus, you burn less muscle while dieting... and therefore burn a higher percentage of fat to account for your energy deficit. You still have to diet, of course, to lose weight. If you don't have the calorie deficit, you're not going to lose.

Lifting doesn't burn a lot of calories on the outset. I have read that lifting provides a pretty long 'afterburn', as in it cranks up your metabolism for a couple of hours after you do it. I'm not sure if it's any better or worse than the effect you get with cardio. I'm not sure how important it is for weight loss either.

My recommendation is to use the free weights and do compound lifts like squats and deadlifts. These use multiple muscle groups- my abs even get sore after squats. Machines tend to isolate certain muscles. They're not bad... it just takes doing more stuff to get the effects that compound lifts can give.

Be aware that your weight loss might grind to a halt with lifting. The number on the scale might not change. A lot of people panic when that happens. However, you will lose inches! And if you keep it up and keep dieting, the scale will eventually start moving again.

I love lifting. I can't say enough good about it. I have lived with chronic pain for almost 12 year. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2001. I have a bad back and hips too. But I am almost completely pain free now, all because of lifting. My blood pressure is lower. I'm stronger, happier, healthier than I've been in 12 long years.

So for me... the scale not moving is a very minor thing.

Good luck.

jppd47

Check out the books: New rules of lifting for women, starting strength. Or you can look in to Stronglifts 5x5.

Starting strength and stronglifts are focused on compound lifts. Squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell row, overhead press, power cleans.

new rules of lifting has some dumbbell exercises, lunges, and theses above.

carrie_eggo

When you diet, you metabolize fat to make up for the energy deficit, but you also metabolize muscle. It's inevitable, but when you lift heavy, you make your muscles a priority. You body needs to hang on to those so you can keep lifting heavy. Thus, you burn less muscle while dieting... and therefore burn a higher percentage of fat to account for your energy deficit. You still have to diet, of course, to lose weight. If you don't have the calorie deficit, you're not going to lose.

Lifting doesn't burn a lot of calories on the outset. I have read that lifting provides a pretty long 'afterburn', as in it cranks up your metabolism for a couple of hours after you do it. I'm not sure if it's any better or worse than the effect you get with cardio. I'm not sure how important it is for weight loss either.

My recommendation is to use the free weights and do compound lifts like squats and deadlifts. These use multiple muscle groups- my abs even get sore after squats. Machines tend to isolate certain muscles. They're not bad... it just takes doing more stuff to get the effects that compound lifts can give.

Be aware that your weight loss might grind to a halt with lifting. The number on the scale might not change. A lot of people panic when that happens. However, you will lose inches! And if you keep it up and keep dieting, the scale will eventually start moving again.

I love lifting. I can't say enough good about it. I have lived with chronic pain for almost 12 year. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2001. I have a bad back and hips too. But I am almost completely pain free now, all because of lifting. My blood pressure is lower. I'm stronger, happier, healthier than I've been in 12 long years.

So for me... the scale not moving is a very minor thing.

Good luck.

I agree. Very well said.

I also agree with what the others have said. Go for it!

dlwyatt82

Hard to keep that answer short. Probably easier just to recommend that you read something like "New Rules of Lifting for Women" or "Starting Strength" for detailed information.

Short answer:

Free weights are the best, and machines should be avoided unless you have some medical problem preventing you from using barbells or dumbbells. When you have to balance and stabilize the weight, you're working many more muscles in their natural function, particularly your abs and back.

Do compound movements, not isolation exercises. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Rows, Overhead Press, and Cleans are all good exercises that work many muscles at once, with movements that are useful outside the gym (basic pushing and pulling mechanics). Things like bicep curls are for gaining size rather than strength.

Start light (with an empty barbell, in most cases) and work on using proper form, adding weight gradually. If you can't complete a set with perfect form, then you should stop adding weight until you can; don't just keep piling the weight on and hoping the problem will work itself out later.

Do sets with a low number of reps (5 or less), working up to as much weight as you can handle. 5 sets of 5 is a good starting volume per exercise.

NJL13500

I put the New Rules book on hold from the library. It has great reviews on Amazon. Thanks for the advice.